(KRON) -- With El Niño and the potential for heavy rain in the forecast, East Bay city officials are taking steps to help residents prepare for possible flooding. Watch the full report from KRON4's Lindsey Ford in the above video player. It's all about being prepared before the water starts risin g. At the city of Alameda's request, volunteers with Alameda CERT helped fill sandbags for residents to use to protect their homes and property from flooding. Photo: KRON4 News. Bruce Baber is one of those volunteers. He's part of Alameda CERT, which stands for Community Emergency Response Team. It's a community-based program run through the Alameda Fire Department that trains residents and local business employees in basic emergency and disaster response skills. “We’re trained for something we hope never happens, right? So in the meantime, Alameda CERT is used by the police department for missing person searches sometimes,” said Baber. Like Baber, who is also a homeowner, many of the residents seen here filling sandbags know flooding is nothing new. “We’ve had a lot of people come here, and sometimes you only have one person here. Other times, we've had six cars backed up. It's been ongoing, so the word is getting out, which is good because we definitely want to be prepared because this is the time to do it, right?” Baber said. Alameda resident Marcella also stopped by with her son, Bo, to pick up sandbags. She says she's lived in Alameda her entire life. “We’re in central Alameda, and we don’t get too much flooding inside the house, thank goodness. We don’t have a pump or anything, but our backyard, because we tend to step down into it,” said Marcella. Marcella plans to place the sandbags by her backyard door to help keep floodwater out. “Just make sure nothing comes in. Luckily, nothing has. Just to be prepared, especially with the extra rain we’re getting this year,” she said. Residents tell KRON4 flooding is a common concern around Lincoln Middle School and the surrounding neighborhood. The bay is just steps from many of these homes. The city set up three sandbag-filling locations across Alameda on Saturday. Alameda resident Gabrielle stopped by the Grandview Pavilion with her father to fill sandbags. “Everybody’s been very concerned about it in Alameda. All my friends have been talking about it,” said Gabrielle. “I guess I also worry about the elderly in Alameda having to do this or not do this, but we’re going to be away for the holidays, and we’re going to leave our house, and I want to make sure that we’re safe.” If you missed Saturday's event, residents can still fill sandbags at various locations. All you need to bring is your own shovel. ...read more read less